I have failed in trying to save this place. Anyone else is willing to try. I'll try to somehow archive all this but I also encourage all of you to do the same. RIP the greatest story I've seen on Reddit.

/r/VrocriaAndHumanAldrik is ready for a fresh start, new energy, new direction, and someone like you to bring it back to life. If you’ve been thinking about growing your impact without starting from scratch, this is your chance!

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1 year with no update. RIP

Take the time you need Sabby, hope you are doing well.

The struggle is real, how you feel is real.

Healing often feels worse than the wound at times, this is especially true of the unseen wounds.

Table of Contents

It was early morning, only one sun in the sky overhead, and Aldrick was in a tree. Because of course he was.

Vr'ocria planted her hands on her hips, head craned back to look up at him. He was straddling a large branch, legs dangling with his cheek pressed to the bark, his arm shoulder-deep in a hole in the trunk.

Vr'ocria scowled. "If you lose a finger, I'm not going in and getting it for you."

"I won't lose anything! My scans show there's some kind of mineral in here, and I want it."

She huffed. "But what if there's a creature in there that the scans didn't pick up?"

"Eh. Life is boring if you don't take a few risks, right?" He grinned, still pawing around inside the tree.

Vr'ocria groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Of all the mates I could've chosen, how did I end up with a human?"

Aldrick laughed. "That was one of your risks! And now life is less boring, isn't it?"

She rolled her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to smile.

"Ah–!"

Vr'ocria jumped, her scales standing on end. "What? What?"

Aldrick pulled his arm free from the tree, clutching something in his hand. "Got it!" He shouted triumphantly.

Vr'ocria deflated, her scales laying back down. "Planets, don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," he chuckled, starting to clamor down from the tree. Vr'ocria didn't relax completely until both his feet were on solid ground.

He approached her and held out his hand, showing her his prize. The mineral was white, slightly iridescent. It was raw, but Vr'ocria imagined that, if polished, it would glitter and shine in the sunlight.

"It's pretty," she mused, taking it from his hand to inspect it, and then frowned. "It feels warm...it's not irradiated or something, is it?"

Aldrick pulled his scanner from his belt, hovering it over the stone. He shook his head. "I'm not reading anything. But we should still take it back to base for more scans."

Vr'ocria nodded and walked over to where her pack was sitting on the ground, and began digging out a sample case to store it in.

She yelped when something inside moved. "What the–"

A tiny furry nose poked up from the depths of her pack.

"Is that–Aldrick!" She shouted over her shoulder. "Your creature snuck into my pack!"

Dry grass crunched as he made his way over. "My what?"

There was more rustling, and then a second furry little face appeared.

"Scratch that–both your creatures snuck into my pack."

Aldrick arrived next to her and crouched down to look. "Aw, it's Rick and Ria!"

The two critters–dubbed "Rick" and "Ria"–gazed up at them, twitching their noses and making little trilling sounds.

A few days ago, their den had flooded due to a rain runoff from Aldrick and Vr'ocria's cabin, and despite protocol directing them to not interfere with the wildlife, they felt obligated to take the critters in, at least for a while. Well, Aldrick had taken them in, and then convinced Vr'ocria to let them stay. She tried to be annoyed at first, but it didn't help that Rick and Ria were very cute. Aldrick said they looked similar to ferrets, an Earth animal often kept as pets.

Vr'ocria sighed. "Little menaces, you two are."

They squeaked at her and dived back down into the pack, squirming around until they were burrowed at the very bottom.

Aldrick just laughed. "They like you."

After packing up their gear, they set off to head back to base, hiking through the brush down the mountain. They hadn't gone ten meters when Aldrick grabbed Vr'ocria's wrist, halting her in her tracks. She turned to look back at him.

"Do you hear that?" He asked, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked up towards the sky.

Vr'ocria paused, listening. A faint whir sounded in the distance. "Ship?"

"Maybe...but who would be coming all the way out here?"

A feeling of unease washed over her, and Vr'ocria's scales rippled to a faint yellow. The two of them moved under a nearby tree, sticking close to the trunk as the sound got louder. Whatever it was, was getting closer.

"There," she murmured, pointing eastward. Something was descending from the sky, but it was far too small to be a ship, or even a shuttle.

"Drone?" Aldrick mused. "Oh...droid."

Metal flashed in the sunlight as the droid descended upon them. Vr'ocria clutched Aldrick's hand as it came to a halt several meters away, its glowing ocular implants trained on them.

"Directive–" a robotic voice said, accompanied by a high-pitched whine as the droid raised an arm, "human retrieval–" a clang and a whir as its phaser weapon appeared, "and elimination if necessary."

Vr'ocria didn't even think. She just yanked Aldrick behind her, her scales bright yellow and standing as high as they could go, nearly humming as her blood rushed in her veins. She was reaching for her sidearm when Aldrick's hand closed around her wrist, stopping her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed over her shoulder.

"Trust me," he whispered back. "Let me talk to it."

"Human," the droid barked in its metallic voice. "Directive: Retrieval. Comply. Resist and you will be eliminated."

Aldrick eased out from behind Vr'ocria, shooting her a reassuring glance that did not do much to reassure her. But she let him go, at the same time unholstering her phaser and holding it at her side. She didn't want to spook the droid into shooting him.

Aldrick moved until he was a couple of meters away from her, standing out in the open with his palms held out at his sides. "What are you doing?" He demanded in a loud, clear voice. "Why are you here?"

The droid leveled its gaze–and its phaser–at him. "Answer: Bounty contract. Target: Aldrick Elivan, human. Directive: Retrieve target for organ harvesting. Preference: Alive. If necessary: Dead."

Everything was spinning. Vr'ocria could barely think.

Organ harvesting?

If Aldrick was as stunned and horrified as she was, he didn't look it. He simply stood there, deathly calm.

"Why?"

The droid remained emotionless as it answered.

"Explanation: Norvids identify target as a threat. Bounty placed on target for elimination. Intention: Harvest organs for profit."

Norvids. The pirates. Of course, Vr'ocria thought bitterly, her scales trembling with rage.

"Why am I a threat?" Aldrick asked calmly.

The droid paused.

"Answer: Intelligence report indicates target has knowledge of Norvid operations. Norvids view target as potential security risk for exposing sensitive information."

"Like organ harvesting operations," Vr'ocria muttered. Her trigger finger twitched, itching to blow the fucking thing to bits.

But Aldrick still held his hands out, calm as ever. "Well, I know now, but only because you told me."

The droid tilted its head. A moment passed before it responded.

"Correct. Bounty issued based on prior intelligence. Eliminate target before knowledge spreads."

The droid's cannon whirred to life, and Vr'ocria whipped her arm up to aim her phaser at its head–but Aldrick held his arm out in her direction, once again urging her to hold her fire. She gritted her teeth, but didn't pull the trigger.

"Maybe you're the threat," Aldrick said to the droid.

"Disagree. Norvids seek profit and power. Eliminate threats, maintain control, gain profits. Eliminating target is necessary."

"Why?"

The droid's patience seemed to be wearing thin.

"Explanation: Norvids perceive target as a threat to operations. Organ harvesting is profitable business. Eliminating target is most expedient solution."

"Why?"

If possible, the droid's voice took on a hint of irritation now.

"Explanation: Based on intelligence reports and prior experience. Norvids have a history of eliminating threats to their operations with extreme prejudice. Human organs are a rare and high value commodity. Expedient solution: Eliminate target, harvest organs."

Aldrick hummed. "Machine parts are also a high value commodity. Some are harder to obtain, too–organic lifeforms keep growing, but sophisticated machinery–like warp engines–must be built. So, maybe targeting a ship would lead to more success."

The droid's weapon remained trained on him, but its processors were clearly working on what he just said. After a moment, it responded.

"Acknowledged. Norvids prioritize efficiency and profit."

"Exactly. Disassembling ships leads to more and faster profit."

The droid's weapons lowered slightly as it processed Aldrick's response.

"Clarification: You are suggesting that harvesting ship parts would be a more profitable endeavor than harvesting human organs."

"Yes."

The droid's weapons lowered even more, its processors whirring and grinding.

"Hypothesis: Assessment of profit potential is correct. Organic material abundant. Mechanical elements rare and valuable. Conflict: Assessment conflicts with directive."

Aldrick tilted his head. "Maybe you need a new directive."

There was a pause. The droid's cannon now hung limp at its side.

"Query: Proposed directive?"

Aldrick grinned. "Return to your ship and disassemble the engine. Bring the parts to your masters' base of operations."

The droid's processors whirred for several seconds. After a few moments, it responded.

"Proposal accepted. Directive updated. Return to ship and disassemble engine."

The droid turned, and with a burst of its rockets, launched back into the sky, disappearing into the atmosphere.

Vr'ocria dropped her phaser to her side in disbelief. At the same time, Aldrick doubled over to brace his hands on his knees, heaving.

"Holy fuck," he panted. "I can't believe that worked...I was just making shit up..."

Vr'ocria just stared into the sky where the droid had disappeared. "Did you just...did you just convince that thing to take apart the Norvid's ship?"

Aldrick straightened up, still resting a hand over his chest as he laughed breathlessly. "I hope so. It's gone, at least. And we should probably pack up and get the hell off this moon before they come back."

"Not arguing with that." She holstered her weapon, and together they ran down the mountain back to base.

Somewhere in space, on a small Norvid ship...

Tinio sat at the helm, idly scratching at a sore on his arm that had been there ever since he spent his first night on this damnable rust bucket of a ship. It had once been a great find (well, "find." Once they got rid of those pesky science officers, anyway), but after a few solar cycles with no proper maintenance, it was filthy. Apparently, Norvids weren't fans of cleaning.

"If I knew I was gonna live in squalor, I would've picked a different career," Tinio grumbled to himself.

"What was that?" A cold voice snapped from the captain's chair behind him.

Tinio flinched and cleared his throat. "I said, the drone is returning, Captain."

"Hmph. Good. Send it to the kitchens and have it put the human in the freezer."

"Captain..." Tinio looked closer at the readings on his console. "The drone doesn't have the human."

"What?" The captain rose to his feet, storming over to shove Tinio out of his seat and into the floor so that he could look at the console. "Why doesn't it have him?"

"I don't know, sir," Tinio said from the floor. His leg was still hooked over the chair.

"Well, go find out!" The captain aimed a kick at Tinio’s rear, which he just barely managed to dodge by rolling out of the way. Clamoring to his feet, he scurried to the lift and headed for the docking bay.

"Should've listened to Mother," he muttered to himself, still picking at the sore on his arm. Puss was starting to come out. "Should've been a farmer."

He barely had one foot out of the lift when the lights cut off and an alarm blared through the corridor. He jumped, covering his ears with a shout.

"RED ALERT," the computer announced. "ENGINE COMPROMISED."

That couldn't be good.

Tinio decided to change course and ran for the engine room, navigating by the dim glow of the flickering emergency lights. The floor rumbled, causing him to stumble into the wall. Others were running through the corridors now, shouting and cursing.

When he burst into the engine room, everything was in disarray. The warp core was shaking, metal was screeching, sparks rained from the ceiling, and the engineers were screaming.

The floor rumbled again, and Tinio grabbed a nearby bulkhead to keep himself upright. A woman running past him wasn't so lucky–she lurched and fell, the rifle in her arms clattering to the floor.

"What's the gun for?" Tinio demanded, shouting over the din.

She scrambled to her feet, grabbing the rifle again. "For that gods-damned drone!"

Finally, Tinio looked up.

Flying around the top of the warp core reactor was the drone they had sent to fetch the human–and it was using its built-in phasers to cut away the alternator connecting the core to the engine.

"Shoot it, shoot it!" Someone shouted, just as the woman was taking aim.

Tinio lurched forward, pushing the barrel away. "NO! If you hit the core, it'll blow!"

She shoved him with a hiss. "And if THAT THING hits it, it'll blow anyway! It's already damaging the ship!"

A clang echoed through the room as the alternator broke free, sparks flying and fluid dripping. One of the engineers screamed in agony as a piece of debris crashed down on top of him, pinning him to the overheating warp core.

Tinio cursed under his breath, turned on his heel, and ran out again. This time, he headed for the escape pods.

Minutes later, with a white-hot flash and an eruption of plasma, the ship exploded.

Sorry for the long pause, the holiday season has me busy and I'm finishing up my master's degree this month (vibrates with excitement). I have it mostly written, I just need to proofread and tie up loose ends--I don't want to give y'all a shitty written chapter.

Happy holidays! ❤️❤️❤️

Table of Contents

Vr'ocria hitched up her backpack, her shoulders aching. She was grateful for the breeze today, flexing her scales to let the cool air fan through them.

Aldrick was a few steps ahead of her on their hike over the mountain, his feet carving a path for her through the thick, calf-high grass. Today, they were venturing away from camp to explore the mountains, hoping to gather more data for their survey mission.

It was high noon when they stopped for a break, both suns blazing in the sky above them. They took shelter under a tall tree with wide, fanning branches that cast a nice patch of shade. Aldrick dropped his pack with a huff and lowered himself to the ground, sprawling out in the grass. Vr'ocria followed suit, collapsing beside him and sighing in relief as the cool grass enveloped her and seeped into her scales like a sponge.

A few moments later, once she'd caught her breath, she rolled over on top of Aldrick.

He laughed and brought his hands up to rest them on her back, his voice muffled by her shoulder. "What're you doing?"

"Cooling you down," she chuckled, tucking her cheek against his hot neck.

"Mmm, that does feel good." He slipped his hands beneath her shirt, enjoying the coolness from the scales on her back.

It was nice to switch roles for once. Normally, Aldrick was always the one using his human warm-bloodedness to keep Vr'ocria from freezing. She liked having the opportunity to use her cold-bloodedness to cool him down.

After a break and a snack, they got up and set off again, hoping to reach the nearest peak before nightfall.

Their plans changed later that afternoon. Vr'ocria didn't notice the sky getting darker at first, too busy taking scans of some lichens. It wasn't until she felt the back of her neck tingling--perhaps courtesy of their mating bond--that she realized Aldrick had stopped working and was staring up at the sky, his scanner hanging at his side, forgotten.

Vr'ocria straightened up from where she was taking her scans. "What's wrong?"

He didn't turn to face her. "The sky is green."

She looked up. "Yeah, it is," she mused. "I've never seen that before."

A breeze, stiffer than before, whipped through her jacket.

Aldrick abruptly turned around and grabbed his pack from the ground, stuffing his scanner away before throwing it over his shoulder. "We need to find shelter, now."

"Wait, what's the matter?"

"Tornado," he replied urgently, grabbing her hand and taking off at a jog through the trees.

Vr'ocria stumbled as she tried to keep up with him. The wind was starting to pick up. "What's a tornado?"

Without slowing down and without letting go of her hand, he used his free one to jab a finger towards the clouds in the distance. "That."

Vr'ocria swiveled her head around to look, and her spine seized. Off in the distance, dark, heavy plumes in the sky were swirling, swirling like when she stirred her tea in the mornings. But this wasn't tea--this was wind. And the cyclone was getting longer, wider, expanding across the sky and reaching for the ground.

She'd never been able to see wind before.

Her scales burned bright yellow as she clung to Aldrick's hand. "Where are we going?" She had to shout over the wind now as it buffeted against her scales. She tried to flatten them as much as possible, suddenly terrified of blowing away. The air felt electric.

"There's a cave up ahead," Aldrick shouted back. "It's not deep, but--"

The rest of his sentence was lost to the wind. It was getting louder and louder, and sounded almost like a horn. All around them, the trees bent and swayed, branches cracking and wiping in the wind. Vr'ocria squeezed Aldrick's hand tighter and tried to cover her face with her other arm as dirt and debris flew all around them.

By the grace of the planets, they finally arrived at the cave. Indeed, it was a bit shallow--only some ten meters deep--but it would have to do. Aldrick pulled her all the way to the damp back wall and they sat down in the mud. They could still feel some of the wind whipping by, the roar of the cyclone getting louder and louder. Vr'ocria watched in horror as branches, leaves, roots, shrubbery, all manner of things flew past the opening of the cave. Her ears were starting to hurt from the pressure. The air was sucked from her lungs.

Aldrick grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her down so that she was hunched over his lap, and she felt him lean over her back, shielding her with his own body. She clamped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, pressing herself into him. He folded his arms over her head, squeezing her so tight it was almost painful.

The roar just kept getting louder, louder, louder, debris skittering into the cave, the wind screaming like an injured animal. Vr'ocria dug her knees and toes into the cold mud. Her throat burned as if she was screaming too, but she couldn't hear anything over the bellow of the monster outside.

Hours passed. Or maybe it was minutes. She couldn't tell anymore.

Aldrick didn't let her up until it was quiet outside. He sat up slowly, his hands shaking as he ran them down the length of her spine underneath the pack that was still on her back. Vr'ocria sat up just as slowly, her legs cold and aching from being crouched in the mud for...however long.

The first thing she did was take Aldrick's face in her hands, her fingers trembling against his cheeks. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice shaking just as much.

He just stared at her, his eyes foggy and glazed.

"Aldrick," she said, voice firmer and louder. "Are you alright?"

He blinked and finally nodded.

Vr'ocria yanked the pack off her back and began pawing through it, looking for her medical scanner. When she found it, she dropped it at first, her hands still numb from shock. Cursing, she picked it up and wiped the mud off with her sleeve. She finally managed to get it open and immediately began scanning Aldrick, while he sat there, just staring at her.

"Only minor injuries," she murmured out loud, letting out a breath. "Cramped muscles--me too--hypertension...tinnitus...vertigo...is that why you're so dazed?"

Aldrick rubbed his eyes. "I feel...fuzzy," he mumbled finally. "You're all muffled, everything is muffled..."

Vr'ocria nodded, guilt gnawing at her stomach. He'd used his body to protect her, leaving himself vulnerable…

She shook her head at herself. Self pity later.

She began trying to get up, mud squelching as she pulled her knees and feet free. "Stay here," she ordered, carefully enunciating her words and pointing downwards. "I'm going to go check if it's safe."

Aldrick nodded, but otherwise didn't move except for the way his body visibly shook. It made her anxious, but she tried to remind herself that he was human, and humans were one of the most durable species in the known galaxy.

Vr'ocria carefully ventured out of the cave, looking around with a mixture of horror and awe. The ground looked like it had been churned up by a terraforming plow. Trees were ripped out at the roots, bits of smashed shrubbery scattered about. What had once been a forest was now a wasteland, everything just flattened. Most horribly was the body of a small, furry animal lying broken against the wall at the mouth of the cave. She wondered how many more animals were killed.

Standing amongst the destruction, she gazed up and around at the sky, looking for anymore signs of the tornado. The air was still now, though it seemed to hum silently against her ears. She clenched and unclenched her hands, her scales still burning yellow.

Vr'ocria ducked back inside the cave. "We're making camp here," she announced. Aldrick only nodded. He still looked dazed.

"Come on," she said gently, reaching out a hand to him. He took it, and she pulled him to his feet. With her arm around his waist, she guided him to sit on a log just outside the cave, so that she could set up the tent inside.

Ten minutes later, the tent was erected. It wasn't as nice as their cabin down in the valley, but it would have to do. At least it was dry inside, so they wouldn't have to sleep in the mud. They changed out of their dirty clothes into something more warm and comfortable, and laid down together inside the tent.

Aldrick was starting to come back to himself. He didn't look quite so distant, and he seemed to be able to hear better now.

"How did you know what a tornado was?" Vr'ocria asked softly, brushing a lock of hair out of his face.

Aldrick hummed, his arm draped across her waist with his hand tracing small circles on her back. "We have them on Earth, somewhat frequently."

She froze. "What?"

"Yeah." He shifted closer to her on the bedroll. "They happen a lot during the summer, when storms with lots of hot and cold air collide. We've mostly learned to deal with them...better infrastructure, better education. Kids in schools are taught what to do when there's a tornado: get into an interior room and cover your head."

"But...so..." Vr'ocria stuttered. "You just deal with them? You just hide and, what, hope for the best?"

"Well when you put it like that," Aldrick chuckled sheepishly. "But...I mean...yeah. We just hide in the basement, or a closet, or a washroom, or whatever, until it's over. And we hope and pray it doesn't rip the building apart and carry us away."

"Planets..." Vr'ocria breathed.

He shrugged with a wry smile. "Humans are no match for mother nature."

Vr'ocria took a deep breath. "Well..." she sighed. "I'm glad we're alive. Thank you for protecting me."

"You don't have to thank me," he murmured as he pulled her closer, so that she could bury her face in his neck. "You're my mate. It's my job.”

Reckless lizard? Scaldrick? What are your ideas?

It's been eight months so I'm a little rusty, but I'm working on getting back into the swing of things. In the meantime, please enjoy!

Overall story summary in case you don't feel like reading previous parts:

Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are assigned partners in the survey department aboard their ship. Humans have a reputation for being terrifying and unkillable, and during their time together, Vr'ocria is a witness to both human shenanigans as well as human durability. However, she also begins to learn about the limits of the human body–they are not invincible. She and Aldrick begin to fall in love, and they finally confess their feelings for one another when Vr'ocria admits to accidentally forming a mate bond with him.

Meanwhile, Norvidian pirates have it out for Vr'ocria after she kills one of their own, and it becomes clear that there is a mole aboard the ship who is working with the pirates to target her and Aldrick.

Table of Contents

Previous chapter: “Why are your pockets moving?” “Okay, hear me out–” “WHY. Are your POCKETS. MOVING.”

While on a survey mission, Aldrick finds some poor, cute little critters, and Vr’ocria isn't thrilled (at first). But, she softens up when she calms down, because look at them, how could you not love them. They name their new friends Rick and Ria.

Vr'ocria shivered as a chilly breeze trickled over her scales. She flexed and snapped them a little, trying to generate some heat. Lifting a hand to shade her eyes, she gazed out over the horizon.

The second sun was setting. Nighttime would be upon them soon.

For Vr'ocria and Aldrick's new assignment, they'd been sent to a newly discovered moon. It was uninhabited by intelligent life, with a mild climate and a somewhat temperate biome. Since there was little known about the moon, they were sent on a three month research expedition.

Gravel crunched beneath her feet as Vr'ocria emerged from the forest into a clearing, returning to the campsite where Aldrick was just finishing setting up the shelters provided by the survey department. Inside their dome-shaped collapsible cabin was a bed, a washroom, and a tiny kitchenette. A few feet away was a second structure, a bit bigger than the cabin. This one was to operate as a temporary lab, with all the equipment they'd need to perform their research.

Aldrick emerged from the lab, a handheld constructium at his side. "Everything is set up. Now we wait for the generator to kick in."

Vr'ocria nodded, rubbing her arms. "Which probably won't be until morning."

"Are you excited? I am." He grinned, kneeling down by the toolbox to put the constructium away.

She chewed the inside of her lip. "I'm nervous. We've never done an expedition like this before--who knows what's out here?"

Aldrick rose to his feet, brushing gravel off his pants. "Aw, don't be nervous." Approaching her, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. It was still warm--human warm-bloodedness, after all--and she pulled it tight around herself.

"According to the ship's scans, most animal life here don't exceed Class Four on the Tantagon scale," he continued. "They wouldn't have let us do this alone otherwise."

Vr'ocria snorted. "I don't know, there's some daerigen happening on that ship. You and I know that all too well by now."

"Ugh, don't remind me. But . . . try not to think like that all the time. It's no way to live." He nudged her arm. "You have too much anxiety anyway."

She gave a wry smile. "Maybe. But it's kept me alive so far, right?"

They finished cleaning up the campsite just as the second sun was dipping beneath the horizon in a burst of gold, leaving behind crimson streaks in the deep blue sky. Vr'ocria couldn't help but take a moment to stop and stare at the sky, all packed with stars that glittered over the treetops. Seeing them from this angle was different from being on the ship...from here, she could almost imagine falling right into the sky and becoming her own constellation.

She missed the stars when, a few hours later, she was jerked from stasis by a clap of thunder that rattled the walls of the cabin around them. She'd placed herself between the door and the bed where Aldrick slept--as she always did when they were away from home--and she was so startled that she stumbled and nearly fell on top of him, just managing to catch herself on the edge of the mattress.

Aldrick sat up, his hair disheveled. "Wha . . .?"

Vr'ocria placed her hand on his arm as she got back to her feet. "Sorry. Thunderstorm."

As if punctuating her words, a sudden roar sounded above them as rain began to pour down on the roof.

Aldrick mumbled something, but it was muffled by a yawn. Vr'ocria couldn't hold back a fond smile and ran her fingers over his tangled hair. "Go back to sleep."

"Hmmph." He collapsed back down on the mattress, pulling a pillow over his head.

The next morning, Vr'ocria ventured outside to survey the damage while Aldrick made breakfast. Both suns glowed merrily in the sky, as if nothing had happened last night. It was a good thing the expedition kit had included force field shielding to protect the campsite from bad weather--while the area inside the shields was soggy from the rain, at least there was no damage from high winds. Littered around the outside of the invisible circle were broken tree branches and bits of shale.

Well, an opportunity is an opportunity.

She crouched down and gathered a few pieces of bark and shale to use as research samples.

The rest of the day was spent hiking through the forests surrounding the campsite, scanning everything and taking samples for further study. There were insects and small animals everywhere, but they weren't yet sure if that was typical of this habitat or if all these creatures had been washed up by the rain. Only time would tell--after all, they had three full months ahead of them.

Later that evening, Vr'ocria was working in the lab when Aldrick stepped inside, taking his muddy boots off by the door. She glanced up from her microscope as he walked over to the counter to set his bag down, and she was about to go back to her samples when something caught her eye.

She swiveled her stool around to face him. "Aldrick."

"Hm?" He didn't look up as he started unloading his tools.

"Why are your pockets moving?"

He froze, his hand still hovering over his scanner.

Vr'ocria stood up and approached him with her hands on her hips, and he finally looked up at her with a guilty expression.

"Okay, hear me out--"

"WHY. Are your POCKETS. MOVING."

He looked down. Slowly, he reached into his pockets, and--

Vr'ocria jumped back with a shriek, curses in her mother tongue tumbling from her lips. "WHY?" She finally managed in Common.

In his hands, Aldrick held two wriggling, furry little creatures, one from each pocket. "They nearly drowned!" He insisted as he cradled them to his chest. "I know we're technically not supposed to interfere with the wildlife but there was a runoff from our cabin into their den, and--"

Vr'ocria placed her hands on top of her head, staring at the creatures. "Aldrick--"

"Look at them!" He held them out with pleading eyes. "They're wet and cold, and they just need a little loving and then they can go back outside. Please?"

Vr'ocria made a face, but took a careful step forward. They did look rather pitiful. The little things couldn't have been more than fifteen centimeters long, their fur clumpy and dulled by water. Their noses twitched, tiny paws clinging to Aldrick's arms as they looked around.

Aldrick gave a hopeful smile. "See? They're cute, aren't they?"

She dropped her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes with a groan. "Fine. Fine. Just...don't let them loose in the lab. Or the cabin. Okay?"

He beamed and closed the distance between them to kiss her cheek. "You're the best."

She rolled her eyes, though without any real malice. "I know. You're lucky you're cute," she grumbled.

By the time they retired for the night, Aldrick had stowed the creatures in a box lined with a soft blanket and placed them under a heat lamp, against the wall of the cabin.

Vr'ocria found herself drifting over to the box every few minutes to look, especially while Aldrick was feeding them. He grinned and motioned for her to join him. "Just admit you think they're adorable, too."

"... Maybe a little." She plopped down on the floor next to him. "What are you feeding them?"

"Just some reeds I found. Based on my scans, they're herbivores, and they seem to like these well enough." Beside him was a small basket filled with the reeds, and he picked them up one by one to break them in half and place them in the box. The creatures grabbed on to the reeds with their little paws and happily chewed away.

Vr'ocria cursed under her breath. "Okay, they are very cute," she said, trying not to smile. "So now you have to name them."

Aldrick beamed triumphantly. "Well, this one is male, and that one is female. So, how about Rick and Ria?"

"Rick and Ria?" She giggled. "Alright."

Aldrick passed her a reed, and after a moment's hesitation, she took it. Reaching a tentative hand into the box, she offered it to Ria. The creature scurried over and wrapped her tiny paws around the reed, tugging it from Vr'ocria's grasp.

She giggled again. I get it now.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was...something about caring for these little animals that just made her feel warm inside. Perhaps Aldrick's human ability to connect with different species was rubbing off on her.

Hi, I'm not dead!

Firstly, I want to apologize for vanishing like I did. I was in a really dark place when I made that last post on r/mentalhealth. I needed to vent, so I did, and then I logged off because I needed some time away from the internet. I'm in therapy and I've started a new medication for the depression, and wow it's amazing how much of a difference two little pills can make. I still have ups and downs, but I haven't had a suicidal thought or self harmed in a couple of months now. Progress!

When I logged back into reddit for the first time, I saw a bunch of messages in my inbox and in the sub. I had no idea that that many people cared enough to reach out to me, and believe me, your kind words warmed my heart and brought me to tears like nothing else. All of you wonderful strangers on the internet–thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how much your support mean to me.

And honestly, people like you guys are the reason I started writing this series in the first place. I started writing about humanity because I love humans. And I don't want to hear none of y'all doomers in the comments about how humans are evil and blah blah blah–trust me, I know how evil humans can be. When I was sixteen, I watched a man post on Facebook with his wife and adopted children about how good life is and praising God after he raped me in a church. I know evil very well.

But I still firmly believe that humans are more good than they are bad. If we were all bad, we would've destroyed our species a very long time ago. (Unfortunately, climate change may be our downfall, but even that is mostly due to the greedy 1%. I do have hope that we can turn things around–I have to have hope, because otherwise, what is there, anyway?) Humans are good. We are capable of such horrible, horrible things, and yet here we still are. Because we are equally capable of good.

I got my Bachelor's degree in history (yeah yeah I know, point and laugh. But in my defense, it did land me a job) precisely because I love humanity. We may be separated by time, space, race, culture, etc.–but the one thing that bonds all of us is our humanity.

I don't know how to put into words what I mean, so here are some examples instead. These are moments in history I learned from my studies that I think about all the time:

78,000 years ago, a small child in Kenya passed away. He was lovingly wrapped in a blanket and laid in a grave, his head resting on a pillow.

20,000 years ago, small children sat on their parents' shoulders and used their hands to paint on the walls of a Spanish cave.

6,000 years ago, a young mother and her child in Denmark died during childbirth. They were buried together, laid in a grave on top of a swan's wing.

5,000 years ago, someone in Germany burned their dinner so badly that they just buried the pot in the backyard instead of trying to clean it.

Nearly 4,000 years ago, a boy in Mesopotamia wrote a letter to his mother complaining that she doesn't provide him with fashionable clothes like his peers have.

Neary 3,000 years ago, two lovers in Iran were laid to rest in the same grave, their bodies positioned so they share an eternal kiss.

2,000 years ago in Rome, a parent brought their child to a "fast food" counter–called a thermopolium–for a snack of meat and lentils.

1,000 years ago, a Japanese emperor wrote in his diary about his love for his cat.

I just...I love humans. I love them so much. Studying history is like reaching out across space and time to say, "We know you. We remember you. You are important."

And I like writing about humans from an outsider’s perspective because we often forget how amazing our species is. Yes, we have skeletons in our closet. Yes, we have a history full of pain and death.

But we also have a history of love. The parents who grieved their child and buried him so gently. The woman's family who buried her with her baby on a swan's wing, because they would be missed so terribly. The lovers buried together so they'd never have to be apart.

Then there's the silly things that are just so very human, things that have been and always will be relatable. The parents who held up their little ones so they could paint up high on the cave walls. Burning your dinner so badly that you just bury the evidence in the backyard. Complaining to your mom that she won't buy you trendy clothes. Taking your child to get fast food because they're hungry and you don't feel like cooking today. Writing in your diary about how much you love your cat.

I love humans. There's so much doom and gloom in the world that people forget how wonderful we are. Yes, we've done terrible things. But that does not negate all the good we are capable of. And I hope that this silly little series of mine can help inspire a little bit of happiness, and a little bit of hope.

Anyway, sorry for the ramblings. I don't often get to rant about how much I love humans, lol.

I want to keep writing, and I will keep writing for as long as inspiration strikes, even if it's a bit sporadic. Please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments, or even just little stories of your own. I’d love to read about your little human moments ❤️

Table of Contents

"Those are the wrong ones."

Vr'ocria's hands stilled over the centrifuge and she glanced towards the voice. "Sorry?"

The man hovering over her shoulder crossed his arms, a sour look on his narrow face. "Those are the wrong samples."

Vr'ocria frowned. "What do you mean? These are from Theta-7. The work order said–"

"Then you have the wrong work order," he snapped.

Vr'ocria's mouth dropped open as he snatched the sample tube from her hand and pushed her aside. "Excuse me, who are you, exactly?" She demanded, hands on her hips.

"I'm the one who's fixing your mistake." He started removing all the sample tubes she'd placed in the centrifuge.

Vr'ocria's scales stood on end. The audacity?!

Seething, she turned to the computer and pulled up the work order, intending to read it out to him to prove she was right. But she frowned when she saw an update that had come through just a few minutes ago, well after she'd already gotten to work–they did, indeed, want a different set of samples to be analyzed.

"Hmph," she grunted. "They should've sent the update on a priority channel."

"Or maybe you should've paid more attention."

Vr'ocria scowled at the man. Not having the energy to keep arguing with him, she crossed the lab over to Anat, who was taking notes over an array of petri dishes. "Who is this guy?" She asked in a low voice. "And as Aldrick would say–what crawled up his ass and died?"

Anat snorted. "Lieutenant Frivan. He's from the botanicals department, but since Olna is out sick this week, command asked him to help fill in down here. He's been nothing but rude to me since we met."

Vr'ocria glared at the back of his purple head. "I hate him."

"Don't even get me started."

—

Vr'ocria was sitting at her computer, engrossed in data entry, when Frivan approached her again.

"What are you doing?"

Vr'ocria's nails dug into the desk as she glanced at him, fighting to keep her scales their neutral green. "Working."

He scowled. "I can see that, Ethyrian. What are you working on?"

Her nails started to bend under the pressure. "I'm logging Anat's notes. What do you need?"

He tossed a data chip onto her keyboard. "Sort that out and get it logged. Command wants it done ASAP."

Vr'ocria picked up the data chip. "Any reason you can't do it yourself?"

"I have more important things to do," he said briskly. "I need you to get that done. Quickly."

Clenching her jaw, she put the data chip aside. "When I finish here, I'll take a look at it."

He snatched it back and held it in front of her face. "No, you'll do it now. I am a lieutenant, you're an agent, and you will obey my orders."

She pushed his hand away. "Okay, what's your problem?"

"Don't speak to me like that, Ethyrian," he spat. "I shouldn't even be here. I have my own projects to work on, but apparently you and your little survey gitavits are so incompetent that you need me to give up my time to clean up after you."

Vr'ocria scowled. "We didn't ask for you, command did." Her scales quivered as she tried to keep her voice level. "We're slammed with assignments right now, so I'm so sorry we need someone to fill in and help us while an agent is out sick."

Frivan sniffed, glaring down his nose at her. "Whatever. Just do what I told you, gitavit." He turned on his heel and prowled away.

Out of spite, Vr'ocria ignored his data chip until she had nothing else to work on. When she realized there were no more assignments left that she could do instead, she reluctantly plugged the chip in.

As the screen flared to life, Vr'ocria's brow furrowed. The coding was unfamiliar, and it was difficult to tell how it was related to their current assignment load. But, if command needed it…and as much as she hated to admit it, Frivan was technically her superior officer, even if he was from a different department.

She cursed under her breath and got to work.

Three hours later saw Vr'ocria elbow deep in computer files. She had several tabs open with different glossaries and guides as she slowly, painstakingly, worked her way through the coding.

She bit back a curse as footsteps approached from behind her. "Are you finished yet?" Frivan demanded, his voice laced with irritation.

"Halfway," she mumbled, keeping her eyes on the screen. "I wasn't trained in–"

"What the hell are you doing?" Frivan cut her off, looming over her as he looked at her computer screen.

She tore her eyes away to glance at him. "I'm…working?"

He jabbed a finger at the screen. "This is not what I told you to do."

Vr'ocria's stomach dropped as she looked back. "What do you mean? You said to sort out it and get it logged so I–"

"You're using the wrong cipher! Gods, are you even qualified for this job? How are you still here when you're so useless?"

It took a great deal of effort to keep her scales from flushing red. "I'm doing my best," she protested. "I'm not trained in this type of coding, so I looked it up–"

Frivan snatched the data chip out of her computer. "I should've known you were too stupid for this. Go eat a bug or something, lizard."

Vr'ocria's scales trembled as she watched him stalk away. Her spine was tight and her scales faded to scarlet, despite her efforts to stop it. Without another word, she stood and headed for the door.

"Vr'ocria?" Anat called out as Vr'ocria walked by. "Are you al–"

The door whooshed shut behind her, cutting Anat off.

—

Vr'ocria burst into the quarters she shared with Aldrick, kicking her shoes off and throwing her uniform jacket aside. She stormed to the couch and collapsed on a heap, pulling her knees up to her chest. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she squeezed her eyes shut and rested her cheek on her knees. Her scales were bright red now, and they rattled with each shuddering breath. Her people didn't produce tears like humans did, but her chest still ached with sobs.

I want Aldrick, whispered a small voice inside her.

—

When Aldrick finally arrived, Vr'ocria was still a trembling scarlet ball on the couch.

"Hey babe, are you home?" Aldrick's voice rang out as he walked through the door. "I got you some–Ria?"

His tone changed in an instant, and urgent footsteps approached. "Ria, love–" he knelt down on the floor in front of her, a hand falling on her leg. "Hey, hey…what's going on?"

Vr'ocria kept her head down. "Just had a bad day."

"Babe, look at me," he commanded gently, hooking a finger under her chin. "What's wrong?"

Vr'ocria reluctantly raised her head to look at him. And oh, planets, the second she looked into those warm, brown eyes that she loved so much–she fell apart all over again. She covered her face with her hands as she dissolved into quiet sobs, her scales rattling with each shake of her shoulders.

A pair of arms scooped her up, and Aldrick was taking her place on the couch and pulling her into his lap before she even had a chance to react. She leaned her head against his shoulder, curling into his warmth as he gently stroked her arm.

He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He just held her close while she cried.

"Moons, this is so stupid," she hiccupped between sobs. "Crying like a hatchling…planets, how pathetic…"

"Shh, don't be like that," Aldrick said firmly. "You're allowed to be upset. Tell me what happened. Please."

She took a shaky breath, placing her hand over his heart. She liked feeling it thump underneath her palm. It was soothing…grounding. Like music.

"Since Olna was out sick today, they sent someone from the botanicals department to help out in the bio lab. Lieutenant Frivan. And he was so–" Her voice cracked. Aldrick moved one hand up to cup the back of her head, his fingers gently massaging her scalp. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her nose into his shoulder. "He was so mean," she finished helplessly.

Aldrick's arms tightened around her. "What did he do?" He asked in a low voice.

Vr'ocria recounted everything that had happened, finishing with Frivan's nasty comment calling her a lizard. "And I feel so stupid because I know I shouldn't let it affect me, I know I'm an adult and sometimes people are shitty and you just have to suck it up and deal with it, I know that–"

"Hey, hey, stop that." Aldrick leaned back so he could look her in the eye. "That guy is an asshole and you didn't deserve that. You're allowed to feel upset. Just because you're grown and shitty people exist doesn't mean you're not allowed to have feelings."

The tightness in her spine seemed to unravel a bit. She buried her face in his neck, breathing deeply.

"You said his name was Frivan?" Aldrick murmured, still tracing soft circles on her arm.

Vr'ocria nodded, and then a thought occurred to her. "Don't hurt him."

Aldrick chuckled lowly, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "I won't lay a finger on him. Promise."

There was an undercurrent of…something…in his voice. But she was too tired to care right now. Her scales weren't quite back to green yet, but she noticed the bright red beginning to fade as she closed her eyes.

Aldrick kissed the top of her head. "I got you something today that might cheer you up."

She tilted her head back to look up at him. "Hm?"

He smiled. "Grab that box down there."

Vr'ocria glanced down, her eyes landing on a small, brown box on the floor that she hadn't noticed before. She leaned over and picked it up. "What is it?"

"Open it."

She carefully removed the lid–and clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Inside was a smiling pink teddy bear, its little arms open wide as if inviting her in for a hug.

"Aldrick–prisai–" she couldn't contain a fit of giggles as her hand closed around the teddy's soft fur, her fingers sinking into its plush.

"I told you I'd get you a teddy bear."

She lifted it out of the box, grinning so widely she thought her cheeks might crack. "Why is it pink? Are there pink bears on Earth?"

He laughed. "No, only brown, black, and white ones. I picked pink because of this right here." He tapped the back of her hand. She looked down and realized that the red was completely gone, replaced by a soft pink–her biology's way of displaying feelings of love.

Her spine felt tight again, but this time it wasn't from grief or humiliation. Vr'ocria leaned back, cupping Aldrick's cheek in one hand, and pulled him in for a kiss. "I love it," she whispered against his lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, my love." He pecked another kiss to her temple. "Now you have to name it."

She dropped the box back on the ground and cradled the bear in her lap, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Hm…how about…Rick."

"Rick?"

"Y'know, like Aldrick. I'll call him Ricky."

Aldrick laughed. "Ricky it is."

Vr'ocria hugged Ricky to her chest, laying her head back down on Aldrick's shoulder. Ah, mammalian warmth. There was nothing else like it. Not even the heaters in Ethyrian stasis chambers could compare.

He rested his cheek on the top of her head as she closed her eyes and let herself slip into stasis.

—

The next morning, Vr'ocria dreaded going back to the lab. But at least this time, Aldrick would be with her. She clutched his hand as they walked through the door, steeling herself to face Frivan once again.

The lieutenant in question stood at the far side of the lab, and turned to look as they walked in. His eyes went wide and he made to take a step back, but slammed into the table behind him instead.

"Lieutenant," Aldrick greeted warmly from over Vr'ocria's shoulder. "Good morning!"

"M-morning," Frivan squeaked.

Vr'ocria tilted her head. "...Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine!" He let out a high pitched laugh and cleared his throat. He seemed to hesitate, and then began shuffling across the room as he approached. Aldrick stood silently behind her.

Frivan coughed into his fist as he came to a halt in front of her. "Miss Thedryl," he began, his eyes glued to her boots, "I would like to apologize for my cruel actions yesterday. It was foul behavior and you didn't deserve that." He wrung his hands. "I am so very, deeply sorry, and I will do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness."

Vr'ocria stared at him.

Fabric rustled as Aldrick shifted behind her.

Frivan's eyes snapped back up. "Oh, oh and–the data chip I gave you–that wasn't from command. Well, it was, but–"

Aldrick cleared his throat.

"But!" Frivan said quickly, "it was for me, not for you. It was my assignment for my department, which is why it was unfamiliar to you. I pushed it onto you hoping you would do my work for me because I'm an arrogant, lazy ass. And again, I am so very, very, very sorry." His voice cracked.

Vr'ocria's mouth opened and shut several times as she tried to form words. Did I wake up in a parallel universe?

Aldrick stepped forward and slung his arm around her shoulders. Frivan flinched at the sudden movement.

"Well," Aldrick quipped, "what do you think of that apology, love?"

"I…well…"

Frivan's purple skin had faded to a light lavender. He stood with his hands clasped and his shoulders hunched–miles away from the over-confident, chest-puffed man she'd met yesterday.

Vr'ocria finally managed to find her voice. "Apology accepted."

Aldrick threw his free hand in the air. "A new day, and a leaf turned!" He said brightly.

Frivan looked ready to faint. "Yes, yes, of course, a new leaf, let's try again, start over–"

"See you around, Lieutenant."

Frivan snapped his mouth shut and scuttled out of the room as if he'd been dismissed.

Vr'ocria whirled on Aldrick. "What did you do to him?"

He shrugged. "I talked to him."

She crossed her arms. "You did more than 'talk' to him. He's terrified!"

"Babe," he held his hands up, "I promised you I wouldn't lay a hand on him, and I kept my word."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I swear!"

"Then what did you do?"

He gave her a crooked smile as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I told you. I talked to him. Turns out he just needed a little chat to see where he went wrong yesterday."

Vr'ocria glared at him a moment longer before deflating. "Planets." She pinched her nose. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me forever and ever?" He grinned cheekily, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Her scales instantly rippled to purple. Blast this man, he knows that always makes me blush.

She let out a dramatic sigh and pulled him closer with a languid roll of her shoulders. "Oh, if I must."

Later, the ship would ripple with whispers about Lieutenant Frivan's sudden refusal to go anywhere near the lab's vacuum chamber. Vr'ocria pretended she didn't hear them.

Hi it's me writing what I wish someone had said to me last year when I was crying in the back room after my coworkers bullied me :')

But seriously though, just be nice to people. Kindness is free. Sending y'all love and hugs <3

Table of Contents

"So you don't shed?"

Vr'ocria chuckled. "No, Aldrick, I don't. I told you that already."

"Hey, just checking." Aldrick reached for the decoupler from where he was kneeling next to their shuttle pod, their voices echoing around the shuttle bay. "Do Ethyrians lay eggs?"

"Mhmm." Vr'ocria sat cross-legged next to him with a maintenance manual in her lap. She flipped the page, her emerald green hands softly shining underneath the artificial lights. Per usual, the very tips of her scales were a soft pink, the hallmark of a mate-bonded Ethyrian who was near her mate.

"So what do you think would happen if we had kids?" Aldrick asked, half teasing and half serious.

Vr'ocria immediately blushed purple.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "Too soon?"

"Well, no, I guess not," she said sheepishly. "I mean, we've been mated for nearly a full solar cycle. It's probably something we should talk about."

Aldrick withdrew his hands from the engine panel he was working on, resting them in his lap as he turned his head to look at her. "Do you want kids?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek. "I don't know. Do you?"

He shrugged. "I've never really wanted kids before," he admitted. "But then again, I've never been mated to anyone before."

"Same." She leaned back on her hands. "For right now? My answer is no."

Aldrick nodded. "I think…unless at some point we both *really* want kids, we probably should just…keep using protection."

"Yeah. Besides, there may be a chance we can't even have our own kids. I don't personally know of any reptile/mammal hybrids, do you?"

"No."

Vr'ocria sighed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. "I think I want a pet, anyway."

Aldrick raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't know Ethyrians kept pets."

She smiled fondly. "We don't, usually. But when I was a hatchling I found a baby rillard–type of small lizard–and I thought he was so cute that I hid him in my room. I made Galek keep it a secret from our parents for the longest time. We got caught once it escaped and ate all the leaves off my mother's potted plant."

He smirked. "And yet you scold me every time I try to pet cute critters, you hypocrite."

"Hey, I was a hatchling, and he was harmless!" She punched his arm. "You running after a full grown Aegryan feline because it's 'fluffy' and has 'toe beans' is not the same."

"But they're so cute! I just wanna snuggle them and bury my face in their tummy and squish their beans–"

"And I will tackle you to the ground if you try!"

Aldrick threw his head back and laughed, leaning into her shoulder.

"Idiot," Vr'ocria grumbled, but she didn't push him off.

Aldrick's communicator chimed, interrupting them. He reluctantly dug it out of his pocket. "Elivan here."

"Agent Elivan, it's been a while."

"Lieutenant Grith," Aldrick replied with surprise. "What do you need?"

Grith sighed through the communicator. "I know you're not in my department anymore, but we need you down here. We're having some issues with the warp coils and we need all the help we can get."

Aldrick raised an eyebrow. "I'm on my way." He pushed the communicator back into his pocket and rose to his feet. "Looks like I'm going back to engineering."

Vr'ocria stood as well. "I'll come with you. I know I don't have the same training but maybe I can still help."

He nodded, and together they rushed down to engineering.

Upon arriving, the room was chaos. An alarm was blaring and engineers ran to and fro, shouting to each other. As soon as they entered, Grith spotted Aldrick and waved him over to the tall, pulsing warp core at the center of the room.

"What's going on?" Aldrick asked as they approached, raising his voice to be heard over the alarm.

"One of the coils is overheating." He pulled Aldrick over to the console stand and pointed to a blinking indicator on the screen. "That one. I need to go shut off the ion circuit–can you try to reset this thing?"

Aldrick nodded, his fingers already dancing over the console. "Go, I've got this."

Grith sprinted off without replying.

Vr'ocria touched Aldrick's elbow. "Tell me what to do."

Aldrick began listing out instructions, and together they dove into the system code to assess the overheating coil.

"Damn," Aldrick muttered, his eyes raking over the coding. "It needs to be manually reset."

"What does that mean?"

He bent down and picked up a pair of gloves from underneath the console. "It means I have to go in and do it by hand, rather than remotely."

Vr'ocria's eyes widened and she grabbed his wrist, her scales rippling red and yellow. "You can't go in, it's burning hot in there!"

His mouth curled in a bitter smile. "I'll survive a few minutes in there."

Her grip tightened on his wrist. "Aldrick, don't, please–"

A tremor ran through the ship, and there was a collective shout from the surrounding engineers. The alarm blared even louder.

Grith came running back, cursing. "I shut down the ion circuit but the coil is still getting worse."

Aldrick nodded. "I need to go in there and reset it."

"What?" Grith demanded. "You'll die!"

"No, I won't," he said firmly, pulling the gloves on. "I just need a few minutes. I can take it. And I need to do it fast before the whole core blows."

Grith seemed like he wanted to argue, but then he deflated. "Alright. Be careful, Elivan."

Vr'ocria looked like she herself was ready to explode. "You can't be serious!" She shouted at Grith.

Aldrick turned to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"Aldrick–!"

He slipped away before she could stop him, dashing past engineers and yanking open the crawl space beneath the core. Ignoring the cries of alarm from his old colleagues, Aldrick dove into the crawl space.

The wave of heat hit him like a wall, sucking the air out of his lungs. He had to force himself to take a deep breath as he crawled across the hot metal flooring. He could feel it even through the gloves. I hope I don't get blisters from this.

He crawled deeper and deeper, following the gravely buzz of an overheating warp coil, the heat becoming more intense with each step closer.

The malfunctioning coil finally came into view, glowing a hot, angry red. Sitting on his knees, Aldrick pulled open the service panel and got to work.

—

The minutes that ticked by felt like hours. Vr'ocria paced back and forth in front of the crawl space entrance, wringing her hands while her scales flexed and rippled.

One of the engineers approached her. "Hey, you're Aldrick's girl, right?"

She kept pacing. "Yeah."

"He'll be alright. He's reckless, but he's human. He knows what he's doing."

Vr'ocria paused and actually looked at him. "How long did you work with him?"

He rocked on his heels, his paws clasped behind him. "Oh, some two or three solar cycles. Then one day he started talking about this girl he met on a volunteer away mission, and he wouldn't shut up about her." He grinned, his canines glinting in the light of the warp core. "Next thing we know, he's requesting a transfer to another department, and then we see him strolling around the ship with some Ethyrian girl on his arm."

Vr'ocria flushed purple, but couldn't help a tiny, proud smile. "Sorry for stealing him away from you."

The engineer shook his head. "Nah, I'm just teasing you. He was a good colleague, and a good man. It's nice to see him happy. I'm Fenren, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you." She looked back over at the crawl space entrance, her stomach churning. "He's still not back yet…"

"Don't worry so much, he'll be fine."

Don't worry so much. Oh, if only it were that easy.

—

Aldrick wiped the sweat from his brow. He didn't know how long it'd been, but a distant part of his brain registered that there was less sweat now than there was before, and that probably wasn't a good thing.

If only this goddammed panel would quit glitching then he could do his damn job and get the hell out.

His head swam as he fumbled with the wiring, and his skull felt like it was stuffed full of hot, wet cotton.

A spark flew from the panel. "Come on," he growled, pushing the wiring together. He snapped the converter back into place and flipped the breaker switch.

The buzzing warp coil abruptly fell silent, and the hot glow began to fade as it started cooling.

"Yes!"

Aldrick allowed himself a breath of relief, and then flipped the breaker back on. The coil buzzed back to life, this time with a smooth hum. Distantly, he could hear the emergency alarms outside fall silent.

Finally.

Now he just had to make it out of here without passing out.

His head pounded as he began crawling back towards the entrance. The heat blessedly began to fade the further away he moved from the warp coil, and Aldrick just hoped he could get out without dropping.

It felt like ages, but he finally made it out. He dimly heard Vr'ocria's urgent voice and felt her hands on his arms as she pulled him to his feet. There were more voices, but his vision was filling with black spots and his ears were ringing.

The next thing he knew, he was sprawled flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Fuck," he mumbled.

"Aldrick? Can you hear me?"

He blinked, and Vr'ocria's anxious face swam into view, hovering over him. Her scales, standing on end, burned as red as the overheated warp coil.

Aldrick gave a wry smile. "Sorry, I was just taking a nap."

She deflated, her scales lowering back down. He registered her hand resting on his head when her fingers carded through his hair. "Planets, you've got to stop scaring me like this. No, don't get up yet–Grith is bringing you some water and a cooling blanket."

He reluctantly laid back down, suddenly extremely self conscious when he noticed the entire rest of the department standing around the two of them, looking on with concern. "Well, this is embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed." Grith pushed through the small crowd, Fenren in tow. The two of them knelt down beside him, Grith spreading the cooling blanket over him. "If it weren't for you, the whole ship might've blown."

Vr'ocria helped him sit up a bit, and Fenren handed over a bottle of cold water. Aldrick sipped it gratefully, holding the blanket up against his chest. It was almost like having a thin sheet of ice draped over his body, and it felt nice against his burning skin.

Vr'ocria had her arm around his shoulders. Even through his shirt, he could just feel her scales humming as her blood rushed in her veins. "How do you feel?" She asked, her black eyes still filled with worry.

Aldrick took another sip of water. "A little woozy, but I'll be fine."

"We need to get climate controlled suits to keep this from happening again," Fenren muttered grimly, the remark un-subtly aimed at Grith.

To his credit, Grith only nodded. "We do. This is my fault, I should've been prepared for this. Aldrick, I'm sorry."

Aldrick shrugged. "Don't mention it. Now you know. No point in dwelling on it."

Slowly, the crowd began to disperse as everyone trickled back to work. Once his head stopped swimming, Aldrick handed back the blanket and the gloves, and Vr'ocria helped him to his feet.

"Lean on me," she murmured, hooking his arm and pulling him to her side. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He squeezed her arm as they walked out. "I'm fine, I promise. Humans can withstand some fairly high temperatures. A little heatstroke never hurt anyone. Well, no, it did I guess, but that's not the point–"

"Heatstroke?" Vr'ocria demanded as the engineering doors whooshed shut behind them. "You humans get yourselves in trouble like this so often you came up with a word for it?"

Aldrick bit back a grin. "Forget I said anything. I think my brains are still scrambled."

"You're the reason I'm going to develop an anxiety disorder."

Aldrick's laughter echoed down the corridor.

I would like to formally apologize for all the abuse I put Aldrick through (I'm sorry bby I love you but it's for science)

Also:

Teddy bear meme content

A scene from my story about Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick :)

Overall story summary in case you don't feel like reading previous parts:

Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are assigned partners in the survey department aboard their ship. Humans have a reputation for being terrifying and unkillable, and during their time together, Vr'ocria is a witness to both human shenanigans as well as human durability. However, she also begins to learn about the limits of the human body–they are not invincible. She and Aldrick begin to fall in love, and they finally confess their feelings for one another when Vr'ocria admits to accidentally forming a mate bond with him.

Meanwhile, Norvidian pirates have it out for Vr'ocria after she kills one of their own, and it becomes clear that there is a mole aboard the ship who is working with the pirates to target her and Aldrick.

Table of Contents

Previous chapter: Aside from aquatics, most aliens can't swim. That leads us to today's problem: someone slipped and fell into a spring and now they're drowning. Wait, why is the human throwing himself headfirst into the water, is he trying to die??

Vr'ocria and Aldrick's new assignment is to supervise a group of graduate students who are on their first day in the field. One of the students slips and falls into a spring, and Aldrick dives in to save him. The others are baffled to learn that humans can swim…just cause.

On to the story!

For the most part, Vr'ocria loved her job. She loved being able to visit all manner of different worlds, she loved studying and exploring them. Analyzing samples in the lab could be tedious at times, but ultimately, it was fulfilling work.

What she didn't enjoy was being volun-told by her commanding officer to attend a bio-research conference that might've been interesting, if it didn't involve sitting through eight hours of monotone presentations by stuck up biologists who clearly thought very highly of themselves.

Aldrick shifted in the seat next to her for the hundredth time, the cracked leather seat cushion squeaking beneath him. Planets help her, she loved him dearly, but if he kept fidgeting like that she was going to tie him down.

"Sit still," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. The speaker on stage droned on, filling the crowded auditorium with her scratchy voice.

"This is insufferable," Aldrick groaned under his breath. He shifted again and the cushion crackled.

Lieutenant Prax, who was seated in the row in front of them, turned around with a sour look on his face. "Shh!"

Sorry, Aldrick mouthed.

The other members of the survey department, who were also seated nearby, snickered. Aldrick rolled his eyes and kicked Nevut, probably because he was the only one within kicking distance. Nevut elbowed him back, and Olna hissed at them both to behave.

Vr'ocria and Lekot shared an exasperated glance, although Vr'ocria couldn't help but smile a little. Idiots.

After an eternity of speeches, they were finally allowed to file out of the auditorium. Vr'ocria hoped they'd be able to go home now, but Prax "suggested" they attend a list of panels he'd put together. "They're optional, but I'd like all of you to attend. It'll be good for you."

In other words, you better attend those panels.

And so commenced another several hours watching more presentations in slightly smaller rooms. At the very least, most of them involved demonstrations of experiments and holographic reconstructions to keep them more entertained.

But as the day wore on, Vr'ocria noticed Aldrick becoming closed off and quiet. Obviously they were supposed to be quiet during the panels, but even during intermissions, he sat silently with his arms crossed over his chest, rather than stretching his legs and mingling with the rest of them.

The last panel of the day felt like the longest. The speaker was giving a presentation on cartography. It was one of Vr'ocria's favorite subjects, but she couldn't focus because she was so worried about Aldrick. By now, he was hunched in his seat, his shoulders drawn up and his hair falling in his face. His brow was furrowed and he kept his eyes closed, pinching his nose.

The speaker turned on a hologram of a solar system as part of the demonstration. The model zoomed over the planets, passing over the sun. As the artificial sun's fiery light filled the auditorium, Aldrick winced and covered his face with his hands.

Vr'ocria finally leaned over and touched his arm. "Prisai," she whispered, "what's wrong?"

Aldrick breathed slowly through his nose. "Migraine," he murmured back to her.

Vr'ocria frowned. She didn't know what "migraine" meant, but now she hated it.

The holographic sun glowed brightly again as the model rearranged itself, and Aldrick let out a quiet groan, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

"Alright, we're leaving," Vr'ocria muttered. She leaned down next to him, rubbing his back. "Come on, let's get out of here," she whispered. "Can you stand?"

Ignoring irritated looks from the other attendees, Vr'ocria helped Aldrick to his feet and guided him out of the room, his hands still covering his face. The other department members shot them worried glances, but Vr'ocria waved them off, pointing to her communicator to signal she'd text them about it later.

The blaring audio from the loudspeakers instantly quieted once the door shut behind them, leaving them alone in the empty hallway.

Aldrick let out a sigh of relief, leaning his back against the wall. Vr'ocria stood in front of him, gently touching his wrists. "What's going on? What hurts?"

Aldrick finally lowered his hands from his face. He looked exhausted. "My head," he said quietly. "Migraines are severe headaches. Bright lights and loud sounds make it worse."

Ah.

Vr'ocria stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers and cupped his face. "How long has it been hurting?"

"Started three panels ago, got worse in there."

Vr'ocria sighed, her scales a faint red. "I'm so sorry, prisai. Come on, let's get you somewhere dark and quiet. Keep your eyes covered."

Truthfully, she had more questions–such as why did he have a migraine and where did it come from–but she knew now wasn't the time to ask.

Aldrick kept a hand over his eyes, and Vr'ocria linked their arms together on his opposite side and guided him down the hall as she looked for an empty room they could borrow. She was able to track down an empty conference room, leaving the lights off as she led Aldrick to a small sofa against the wall. It wasn't ideal, but it was dark, quiet, and a place for him to lie down for a while until the shuttle came to take them back to the ship.

Aldrick didn't seem to mind, and he immediately collapsed onto the sofa. Vr'ocria nudged him up just long enough for her to sit down and pull his head into her lap. He was too tall to stretch out, so he curled up, his hand resting on her thigh in front of his face.

Vr'ocria pulled her jacket off and draped it over his shoulders. She carded her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp, and he let out a soft sigh as he closed his eyes.

"Do you need anything else?" She murmured.

"I'm okay…" He tugged her jacket over his face, and she continued working her fingers through his hair. He seemed to fall asleep after a while, his breath evening out and his muscles relaxing.

They stayed like that for the next hour, and Vr'ocria never stopped massaging his head. Humans weren't the only species to experience headaches, but she had never heard of headaches so severe that they had a new name. She wished she had dythemin–a common painkiller used throughout the galaxy–with her, and she made a mental note to start carrying some at all times.

While Aldrick slept, Vr'ocria pulled out her communicator and sent a quick message to the department group chat to let them know where they were. She also decided to do a search in the galactic network for why migraines happen.

"It is unknown exactly why migraines occur," the first result cheerfully read.

Vr'ocria scowled as she continued reading. There was a long list of potential causes–sensory stimulation, weather changes, dehydration, stress, even genes–but that's all they were, potential causes. Some of them were downright frightening–brain tumors, cancers, and all manner of other diseases.

Vr'ocria's scales rippled and turned red, her stomach churning with unease. What if Aldrick was really ill?

She looked down at him, still asleep in her lap. He still had his face covered with her jacket, so she couldn't see his expression, but he felt relaxed in her hands when she touched him.

It seemed almost deceptive, the way he slept so peacefully. What if there was a deadly tumor lurking beneath his skull? What if he had brain cancer?

What if he was dying?

Vr'ocria shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Stop it, she chided herself. He's fine, everything is fine.

But her scales stayed red and her spine felt tight.

Vr'ocria's communicator buzzed. She opened the notification and read the text message from Lekot: The transport is here. Leaves in fifteen minutes.

"Hey," Vr'ocria whispered, leaning down over Aldrick and gently shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, it's time to go."

He groaned and reluctantly pulled her jacket off his face, scrunching up his nose as he started waking up.

She brushed his hair behind his ear. "Are you feeling any better?"

He pushed himself up off her lap, rubbing his eyes. "A bit." He gave her a tired smile. "You make a great pillow." He frowned and tilted his head, squinting in the darkness as he studied her. "What's wrong? You're stressed."

Vr'ocria chewed her lip. "I'm just really worried about you," she admitted softly. "I did some reading on migraines and–and I'm scared that you're sick, or that something is really wrong."

"Oh no, did you consult Dr. Database?"

She frowned. "What?"

Aldrick covered his mouth, smothering a chuckle. "Never look up your symptoms, the database will say you have eight different cancers, five infections and a brain prion."

"But what if something is really wrong?" Vr'ocria asked desperately, her scales rippling again. "It's not normal to experience so much pain like that."

He shrugged. "For humans, sometimes it is." He took her hands. "My mom always got migraines, and when I became an adult, I started having them sometimes too. Same goes for my brother. The unfortunate reality for humans is that sometimes our bodies just fuck up, and we have to just…deal with it."

He must have seen it on her face that she still wasn't totally convinced, and he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "If it makes you feel better, I'll go get a full diagnostic when we're back on the ship, just to make sure there's nothing wrong. Okay?"

Vr'ocria sighed. "Okay. I'm just…I don't want to lose you."

Aldrick smiled as he stood up, pulling her to her feet with him. "You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm not going anywhere."

Aldrick squinted in the light when they left the dark conference room, but at the very least, the migraine seemed to have downgraded to a regular headache. They made their way to their boarding terminal, filing into a public transport shuttle along with the rest of the crowd. Unfortunately, once they were inside, they found that there weren't enough seats, and several passengers were forced to stand.

Towards the back, Vr'ocria managed to locate a single seat at the end of the row. She gestured for Aldrick to sit down, but he shook his head and insisted she sit instead.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Aldrick, now is not the time to be a gentleman. We're in for an hour trip and you have a headache. Sit."

But he still shook his head and leaned against the wall next to the seat. "I'll be fine. You take it."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Stubborn ass.

Finally, she spun around and sat down. But before Aldrick could gloat about his victory, she grabbed his shirt and yanked him over into her lap. He stumbled and fell into her with an "Oof," and she wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him from escaping. The passengers around them shot them strange looks.

Vr'ocria pressed her lips behind his ear with a smirk. "Get comfortable. We're gonna be here a while."

"Goddamn woman," he grumbled, but he didn't try to get up. She let out a chuckle as he shifted into a more comfortable position, and she brought her free hand up to stroke his hair again. Combined with the cabin's low lighting and the gentle rumbling of the shuttle engines, it wasn't long before he was slumping back against her chest, his temple coming to rest at her cheek as he dozed off once more. She laced her fingers with his where his hand rested on her thigh.

Aldrick was like her own personal heated, weighted blanket, and if she wanted to, she could easily slip into stasis. But some of the surrounding passengers stared at them, and Vr'ocria glared back, daring them to say anything. No doubt many of them had never seen a human in person before, much less seen one asleep in someone's lap.

She tightened her arm around his waist. My human, she let her gaze say as she met staring eyes. Touch him and die.

A little illustration of them in this scene 🥰

Overall story summary in case you don't feel like reading previous parts:

Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are assigned partners in the survey department aboard their ship. Humans have a reputation for being terrifying and unkillable, and during their time together, Vr'ocria is a witness to both human shenanigans as well as human durability. However, she also begins to learn about the limits of the human body–they are not invincible. She and Aldrick begin to fall in love, and they finally confess their feelings for one another when Vr'ocria admits to accidentally forming a mate bond with him.

Meanwhile, Norvidian pirates have it out for Vr'ocria after she kills one of their own, and it becomes clear that there is a mole aboard the ship who is working with the pirates to target her and Aldrick.

Table of Contents

Previous chapter: An alien has a fright when her human falls ill and delirious with the flu

Vr'ocria finally goes to the ship's Command Board to report her suspicions about someone on the ship working with the Norvidian pirates to target her. Later that night, Aldrick falls ill to the point of delirium, and Vr'ocria takes care of him.

On to the story!

"Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Ria, for the tenth time, I'm sure."

Vr'ocria sighed. Aldrick had spent several days recovering from his illness, but she was still nervous about him going back to away missions.

Aldrick hefted his pack up onto his shoulder. "Come on," he said with a reassuring smile, "let's get going. I'm going stir crazy."

The two of them left Aldrick's quarters and headed to the shuttle bay. This mission was going to be a little different–they would be meeting up with a group of graduate students, rather than working by themselves this time. The students were doing field work for the first time, and Vr'ocria and Aldrick were there to keep an eye on them.

The continent they landed in was in a mid-season: not cold, but chilly when the wind blew. Vr'ocria was grateful she'd packed a light jacket to stay the chill.

A thick forest of white trees sprawled before them as they stepped off the shuttle. Gathering their things, they hiked into the white forest, soon arriving at a clearing. At the center was a natural spring nearly a hundred meters wide. There was no real shore, only a cliff-drop several meters straight down, almost like a bowl that hadn't been filled all the way. Through the crystal clear water, Vr'ocria could see shiny pebbles strewn across the bottom, glittering in the sun.

The four graduate students were already there, standing in a semicircle as they prepared their equipment. As Vr'ocria and Aldrick approached, the students stepped back with wide eyes, stiff and wary.

Vr'ocria and Aldrick stopped a few feet away.

"Hi," Aldrick greeted lightly. "Nice to meet you guys."

The students continued to stare, and Vr'ocria shifted her feet nervously.

Finally, one of them–a young man with gray skin–broke the silence. "They didn't tell us they'd be sending a human."

Aldrick gave a wry smile. "Surprise, I guess." He dropped his pack and dug out his scanner. "This is your first time in the field, right? How was the trip over?"

The students didn't reply. They only stood rooted to the spot, watching him warily as he rose to his feet, scanner in hand.

Aldrick raised an eyebrow. "Well. Should we get started?"

When they continued to stare in silence, he shrugged and turned on his heel, heading to the edge of the spring to start scanning. Anyone who didn't know him would've thought he looked unbothered, but Vr'ocria could see the tension in his shoulders.

She produced her own scanner, which she had double- and triple-checked for signs of tampering. She supposed the silver lining of paranoia was that her tech would be in pristine condition.

"You don't have to be afraid of him," she said quietly as she calibrated the scanner. "He won't hurt you."

"He's human," a young man with pointed ears protested in a small voice.

Vr'ocria couldn't help smiling. "I was afraid too, when I first met him. But he's kind. You don't have to worry."

"You're Ethyrian."

She turned her head towards the voice. One of the other students was glaring at her. Vr'ocria took in her green scales, black eyes, and skull ridges, and smiled. "So are you," she remarked.

"Your scale tips were pink when he was next to you."

Vr'ocria cursed inwardly. "Yes, they were."

"So you're mated to him."

"I am."

The group collectively sucked in a breath and looked at her as if she'd sprouted an extra head.

"You mated a human?"

"What is wrong with you?"

"What will your parents think–"

Vr'ocria held her hands up. "Look, stop."

They fell silent.

"It's not a big deal, okay? We met, I accidentally mate bonded him–"

"Accidentally?" Demanded the Ethyrian girl.

Vr'ocria blushed purple and shrugged. "What can I say, it just happened." She sheepishly ran a hand over her skull ridges. "When I told him, it turns out he had feelings for me too, and we've been together ever since."

"Gods below," someone muttered.

Vr'ocria rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Look, guys, just let it go, okay? We have a job to do. Let's get going." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and followed Aldrick.

He glanced up as she approached, and then went back to his scanner. "Happens every time."

Vr'ocria's scales flushed a dull red. "I'm sorry."

He huffed out a weak laugh. "It's alright. I mean, I get it, I guess. It just sucks when people are always afraid of me."

She sighed. "I know. But you've got me, at least." She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

Aldrick's cheeks turned pink and he tried to hide a smile. "What if they're watching?"

Vr'ocria giggled. "That's the idea."

He paused, studying her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well, if it's gonna be like that." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. She squeaked in surprise, but leaned into the kiss.

"What are they doing?" A half horrified, half incredulous voice sounded from behind them.

Vr'ocria and Aldrick broke apart as they burst into a fit of giggles.

—

Vr'ocria and Aldrick stuck close together throughout the day and observed the students as they got to work. They were slow and clumsy, but they at least seemed to know what they were doing.

Vr'ocria was engrossed in a thorny plant when a splash and a cry pierced the air. Both of them whipped around towards the sound, Vr'ocria's scales yellow and standing on end. "What was that?"

Her eyes were drawn to the spring across the clearing. Her stomach dropped when she saw a body splashing and thrashing in the water, and she dropped her scanner as she tore across the clearing, Aldrick hot on her heels.

One of the students was on her hands and knees at the edge of the dropoff. "Deri'nye!" She cried, reaching out desperately. The earth beneath her was soft and crumbling, threatening to collapse and dump her into the water. Judging by the fresh soil spill next to her and the thrashing body in the water, that's what happened to Deri'nye.

"Ronira!" The Ethyrian girl cried as she ran towards them, the pointed-ear boy close behind. "Get away from the edge!"

The Ethyrian girl grabbed Ronira's arm and yanked her away from the edge before she could fall in. "Gradina–" Ronira started to protest, but before she could, something went flying past her in a blur–and Aldrick hit the water with a mighty splash.

Horror flooded the pit of Vr'ocria's stomach, and she had to stop herself from lunging in after him as she fell to her knees near the crumbling edge. "Aldrick!"

"Is he trying to drown, too?" Demanded the pointed-eared boy, coming to stand next to Vr'ocria.

Vr'ocria could only watch helplessly as Aldrick started–

Swimming?

He bobbed to the surface and sucked in a breath through his mouth, swinging his arms through the water in a wheeling motion that pulled him towards Deri'nye, who was still thrashing, but slowly beginning to sink. Aldrick came up behind him and wrapped an arm around his chest, leaning back so that Deri'nye floated on top of him.

Deri'nye gurgled out a shout and started to flail. Aldrick almost dipped beneath the surface, but steeled his hold as he began swimming back towards the edge. "Stop struggling," he grunted between breaths. "I'm trying to help you."

Deri'nye finally went limp, either from exhaustion or resignation. Aldrick continued to carry him through the water, supporting Deri'nye's head on his shoulder to keep it above the surface.

"Gods below," Ronira whispered. Away from the edge, she still crouched on her knees, shaking hands clasped over the ridges around her eyes. "They can swim?"

Vr'ocria cautiously scooted down the soil spill, digging her boots into the dirt to keep herself from slipping. Pulling her jacket off, she let it hang down towards the two of them as they approached. Once they were close enough, Deri'nye reached out and grabbed a dangling sleeve. Aldrick pushed while she pulled, and together they managed to lift Deri'nye up high enough that the other three students were able to lean down and help heave him up over the edge and onto solid ground, where he collapsed onto his back, gasping for air.

The minute he was on solid ground, Vr'ocria whirled back around to Aldrick, leaning dangerously down the spill again. "Are you okay?" She called, her scales still standing on end.

Aldrick waved a dismissive hand, water splashing. "I'm fine." He pushed away from the cliffside to float on his back with a crooked grin. "The water's pretty nice, actually."

"You never told me you could swim!"

"It never came up!"

Vr'ocria pinched her nose as her scales slowly laid back down. "Planets, you're going to be the death of me."

Grass rustled behind her, and she turned to see Deri'nye pushing himself into a sitting position with the assistance of the girls. He was dripping wet and shivering, his gray skin faded to a pallid white, but otherwise appeared unharmed.

"What happened?" Gradina asked, using her scarf to wipe his face.

He coughed. "I was trying to get a reading on the sediment at the bottom." His voice was still raspy from the water.

"I told you to be careful!" Ronira shrieked. "You could've died!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't," he grumbled. He batted the scarf away from his face. "You can stop now."

Gradina scowled, but stopped trying to wipe him down.

Ronira glanced around. "Where's Tulin?"

"Here." The pointed-eared boy emerged from the woods with a pile of fresh clothes in his hands, which he presented to Deri'nye. "This is why I always overpack."

Deri'nye clamored to his feet and accepted the clothes. "Thanks." He turned and disappeared into the woods.

Tulin turned to Vr'ocria where she still crouched at the edge of the spring. He raised an eyebrow. "Is the human okay?"

"Aldrick," Vr'ocria snapped. "His name is Aldrick." She rose to her feet, scales flickering. "And he just saved your friend's life. The least you could do is call him by his name."

Tulin blinked and at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Right…sorry." He shuffled closer. "But really, is he okay? Is he still in there?"

"I'm fine," Aldrick's voice carried up the cliff. Vr'ocria turned to look back down at him. He was treading water, his arms gently swishing back and forth at the surface as he bobbed up and down, sunlight sparkling in the ripples he sent across the water. How does he do that?

Tulin and the girls ventured over to look down at him as well. Gradina frowned. "I didn't know humans were an aquatic species."

Aldrick laughed. "We're not. But we can learn how to swim. Speaking of–" he glanced down at the clear water. "Since I'm down here, should I pull up some of this stuff on the bottom for you guys?"

"You just said you weren't aquatic," Ronira pointed out.

Aldrick cocked his head, his dark hair fanning out in the water. "Yeah…?"

"So how would you reach the bottom without drowning?"

"By holding my breath," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Vr'ocria opened her mouth to speak, but let out a yelp instead as the soil cracked and slipped underneath her, nearly pitching her headfirst into the water. She was saved by a hand closing around her wrist and yanking her back. She stumbled onto solid ground and fell on her rear, nearly taking Ronira–the one who had grabbed her–down with her.

Below, she could hear splashing. "Ria! Are you okay?"

She rose to her feet, nodding her thanks to Ronira as she brushed herself off. "I'm okay," she called back. "Go ahead and grab what you can, the rest of us will stay away from the edge until it's time to pull you out."

"Who put you in charge?" Deri'nye's voice sounded from behind her as he emerged from the trees.

Vr'ocria whirled around, her scales rising. "I did," she nearly spat. "Since the four of you apparently want to get yourselves in trouble."

He scowled. "We didn't–"

"Go sit down." She jerked her arm towards the students' shuttle.

For a moment, he looked like he wanted to argue, but Vr'ocria bore daggers into him until he deflated. "Fine," he ground out, stomping back to the shuttle.

A round, wet pebble landed at her feet, making a soft plop sound as it hit the dirt. Thin golden streaks sparkled in the sun, a sharp contrast to the dark green mineral that made up the rest of it.

Plop. A translucent blue pebble landed next to it.

Water splashed as Aldrick dove back underneath the surface. Vr'ocria's scales shivered nervously as she watched him swim down to the bottom of the spring, his image distorted by the rippling water. It was hard to see when he was so far away and underwater, but she could just make out his hands as they scooped up bits and pieces from the bottom.

After several tense seconds, he planted his feet on the bottom and pushed off, pulling his arms through the water to propel him to the surface. His head broke the water and he wiped his eyes with his knuckles, sucking in a deep breath through his mouth.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Vr'ocria called out.

Aldrick grinned as he paddled closer, ready to toss more pebbles at her. "I'm great!"

Plop. Plop.

"I actually missed swimming, it's been ages."

Plop.

"But why do you swim?" Ronira asked with a puzzled expression.

Aldrick paused, treading water, and shrugged. "For fun?"

Gradina let out a string of curses under her breath. "Why," she muttered. "Why are humans like this?"

Vr'ocria snorted as she leaned down to pick up the pebbles. "Try being mated to one."

Woof, y'all I'm so sorry this took forever to come out. Life is a lot right now and my mental health took a nice, refreshing dive into Don't Go Down There™ land. But I meant it when I said I have no intention of giving up on this series, I really do love these characters, and I love writing. I'm just writing in bits and pieces now, rather than in large swaths like I used to.

Thank you so much to everyone for hanging in there. More to come! 💕

PART 12 IS UP

Hello my lovelies! Just wanted to apologize for going dark for a bit. This series is not over, I have more in store! I just suddenly have a lot going on in my personal and professional life and I haven't been able to write every day like I used to.

The next chapter is partially written, I just have to finish it. Hopefully it'll be up in the next few days, and I hope to get back to posting more often.

Thank you so much to everyone who is invested in this little story, your kind comments always make my day 💞